The Motorola MPx200 combines the power of the desktop with Windows Mobile and the "always at hand" convenience and quality of the Motorola mobile phone to make life simpler, smarter and more synchronized for the mobile professional. The The MPx200 features mobile versions of all the essential Microsoft applications you depend on, including Pocket Outlook, Pocket Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player, and MSN messenger. What's more, the unit's software is designed to sync seamlessly with email, contacts and calendar information on your PC. When coupled with a AT&T data plan, the MPx200 is a powerful companion.
Design
The MPx200 follows the traditional clamshell form factor, although unlike many clamshell designs, it has an internal antenna. The large, 176 x 220 screen with 65,000 colors dominates inside of the cover. A smaller black and white LCD screen, which displays incoming calls, current time, battery life, signal strength and other information is located on the outside of the cover. A five-way selection button allows you to navigate and control the Windows Mobile interface and there is also a jog dial on the left side of the device for easy access to basic controls. In addition to a headset jack, an SD/MMC memory expansion card slot is housed on the right side of the unit. It allows for up to a gigabyte of additional memory capacity. The power key and infrared port are housed on the left side of the unit, while a universal charger/USB data port is present on the bottom.
Calling Features
The MPx200 has all the latest calling features folks have come to expect. The built-in speakerphone makes it easy to talk without having the phone to your ear. Vibrate modes and custom polyphonic ringtones can also be set to your preferences so you know who is calling without having to look at the LCD. The included Pocket Outlook software features a contacts list that is cleverly integrated with the phone's dialing functions.
Messaging, Internet and Tools
The MPx200 is designed as a complete solution for people who want to bring their office with them. The unit comes packed with pocket versions of Outlook, Internet Explorer and MSN Messenger. In addition to keeping track of contacts, Pocket Outlook features integrated calendar and email functions. Microsoft's ActiveSync software keeps the device synced with all of your PC's Outlook information (via USB or IR connection). Users who want Internet connectivity on the road with their laptop or PDA can select an AT&T Mobile Internet package and tap the MPx200's wireless modem capabilities.
You can use the MPx200's built in Internet Explorer browser for AT&T mMode downloads and mobile web browsing. AT&T's mMode service lets you receive and send emails, read news headlines, get sports scores, download games and ringtones, and more. Traditional text messaging, as well as picture and sound messaging are also supported by the phone. T9 text entry, which is a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit-- a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.
A number of handy software tools are bundled with the MPx200 including a voice memo recorder, a calculator, a to-do list, and an alarm clock.
Imaging and Entertainment
The inclusion of Windows Media on the MPx200 means that you can use the handset as an MP3 player. The amount of music you can store is only limited by the unit's memory (up to 1 GB using the expansion card slot), and the included stereo headset is designed for music listening. For gamers, the phone supports Java-based and Windows Mobile game downloads.
Vital Statistics
The Motorola MPx200 weighs 4.16 ounces and measures 3.50 x 1.88 x 1.06 inches. Its lithium- ion battery is rated at up to 4.25 hours of digital talk time, and up to 104 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.
What's in the Box
Motorola MPx200 handset, lithium-ion battery, desktop charger, mini-USB data cable, stereo headset, user's manual.
1 Run, don't walk, run from this phone
A phone with so much potential is actually a nightmare. Unbelievably poor reception (all along a major California highway), lost calls and generally poor/eratic interface performance. Outlooks synch is a huge upside, but at what cost? I would call ATT for support, but everytime I try on my drive home I either get dropped or stay on hold so long I reach my destination before getting an answer. Save yourself the frustration...
2 mpx 200 - sw upgrade
Hi all, I am also happy with this smartphone. It has everything I need and DOESN'T have a camera!!
What I do need is to upgrade system to Windows Mobile 2003. Anybody can help me how to do?
3 Motorola Secret IPOD killer
Hi all,
I have had this phone for all most 15 months. I truly believe this phone is perhaps the best piece of technology made this decade. WHy?
1)Cell phone w/ no antenna yet decent reception
2) Comparable to a Palm if you down load from Handango-Clearvue Suit....word, excel, pp, adobe, image...
3)Ipod-you can buy a 1g card and transfer files via mpx crattle or pixar card connection (SD,MMC etc). The latter will be faster and transfer from anywhere not just itunes and napster...
4)Headphones for phone includes 2 stereo earplugs and phone ans and hang up button
5)compact
6)movies....do you hwk (tmd)
7)reduced price now....I paid 250 and 100 for 1g card
8) smartphone 02 and now smart cats use 03
9) games....
10)internet....MB per month cheap now (mmode)
12)****** sync with outlook-calen, contac, notes, & task!!!!
13)mpx200.org damn phone got fan base
14)better than 220 because motorola put energy in 1st generation
15) Much more but you must do your homework- amazing piece of equipment
4 great smart phone!
The mpx200 is great. I upgraded the firmware to win 2003 which improved its functionality greatly. the battery life is great, the screen is large, bright, and crisp, the button configuration is easy to use; an all around great product. the only complaint that I have is when i upgraded the firmware the button lights no longer work; not too much of a problem because the lcd screen is so bright. i would recommend this product to anybody looking for a device that does it all.
5 Good ONLY if you upgrade
The things with this phone is that it's only good if you upgrade to the windows 2003. The phone will function 100% better and get better reception and stand by time. Also if you get a chance to unlock it, you can use it with other carriers such as cingular, t-mobile... My phone has all this and works great!
6 Long time MPx200 user
I've been using the MPx200 phone for about a year now with mixed results.
In summary I usually describe the MPx200 as a pretty good PDA, but a poor phone. This is mostly due too its poor reception and constant loss of signal when everyone else is ok. It also seems to have many problems that most Personal Computers do, but generally phones do not. For example the phone just seems to need a reboot now and then for no apparent reason.
As a PDA or Pocket PC it's a pretty good device, it syncs with Outlook perfectly (except notes). Includes powerful email features that I could never quite get to work with gmail (probably a gmail problem). There is an enormous amount of software and games that can be downloaded and used. It can function as a pretty good MP3 player, with up to a 1GB sd card.
Searching for phone numbers is easier than any other phone I've used. Although switching to a person's secondary number takes a bit of getting used to (i.e. switching from home to cell).
Finally the battery life is unacceptable. Getting 24 hours with maybe 30 minutes of talk time is what I would consider a good day for my MPx200.
In summary if you want the features of the next generation of phones, most of them are here (except Bluetooth and camera). If you love the latest gadgets, you'll probably enjoy this phone even with its issues. If you're looking for a fully functional phone, without annoyances, you might want to look at other options.
7 V.Poor Reception.. Not worth the bucks
Pros:
1. Sturdy flip design
2. Color screen is good
3. Syncs with outlook without any problem.
Cons:
Oh where to start!!! so many of them
1. The reception is awfully bad. Particularly when you go into a store or mall. When compared side by side with my friend's phone.. that phone will have a full signal where as my phone will be searching for service.. how could that happen .. then when i read all the reviews in other websites i found that the reception is BIG problem with this phone.
2. Drops the call - again this might be related to the reception but i did notice that even with full signal this phone will just drop the call.. couldnt figure out why it was doing that.
3. Volume - both ear piece volume and head set volume keeps modulating.. sometimes it is very high and suddenly it automatically goes very low and you have no clue how to control it.
4. Old software .. Motorola has come up with an updated generic ROM for better reception and windows 2003 for cellphones. but it has not released a version for MPX200 .. and now i believe this phone is discontinued and so is the support.
Overall i had a very bad experience with this phone and wouldnt even suggest buying it even if it is offered for free.. it is a pain to live with this phone..
8 it would be great if
i recieved the phone 01/14/05 by 01/16/05 problem. the phone wont recharge. recieved new battery from seller but the problem still exists. spoke to a repair shop and was told this is a common problem with this phone. haven't decided to: (a.)return the phone (downfall did like the features for my few days of use), (b.)get it fixed (downfall cost) or (c.) just buy a dual desktop charger and charge the battery by itself one at a time(downfall must keep multiple batteries on myself cause the car charger won't work either.)
9 What the hell
Retarded functions Msn messanger What the hell
do you need messanger in a phone for! U press
down (if there was a bigger menu) it would
go so fast down to 100!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The best part is the screen is big!
10 A very satisfying gadget
Threading my belt one day, arranging my gadgets so they wouldn't fall off or poke me on my commute, I came to the conclusion that my Batbelt factor had grown unacceptably high. I shopped around for a PalmOS or Windows phone that was a clamshell design - important, since I'm an abusive user - with an external LCD, and found at the time that my choices were the very expensive Samsung i500 (Palm OS) and the stunningly cheaper, smaller, and sexier MPx200 (Windows).
This is one of the most satisfying gadgets I've ever owned. Still the smallest Windows phone except for the candy-bar-style Audiovox model being offered by Cingular, it does not lack for expandability or power. There is a ton of software available to fill in pretty nearly any functionality hole you might find, and longtime cellphone users will be happy to see that right out of the box, the phone happily syncs up with Outlook - the end of tapping out your contact list/buying the inevitably expensive cable with each upgrade. In as many ways as possible, it offers interoperability e.g. by having, rather than a special proprietary link cable, a standard Mini-USB connection to the PC, and a standard 2.5mm jack for its headset.
It does have its shortcomings. The worst is the lack of Bluetooth; the second-worst is that the SD card slot is for a memory card only, instead of being SDIO. Coming right behind that is a usable but unimpressive battery life. I understand that an aftermarket operating system upgrade can improve this last, but certainly can't recommend trying that at home, as it would almost as certainly void your warranty.
That said, I use my MPx200 as an eBook reader, a PDA, a phone, an instant-messaging device, a gaming platform, and even an MP3 and movie player, all to good effect. I can't over-stress to a prospective buyer of a Windows phone the importance of a really huge SD card, because you'll find something new to do with your phone every week for months. You know that guy who buys a 128MB card, and then a month later buys a 512MB card because his claim that he'd "never even use 128 MB on a cell phone" was way off the mark? Don't be that guy, and you'll be happy.
11 WORST PHONE EVER! Terrible reception battery only for one da
1. Reception much less than my Samsung for same service
2. Microsoft randomly locks up need to take out battary to reboot
3. Battary stamdby lasts for 2 days max
4. User interface sameful e.g. no repeate last call
5.
6. .....
12 MPX 220 - Best Windows Phone EVER
Typically when I first heard news about the MPX220 I dismissed it as another lame windows mobile, unreliable, jerky, slow and generally rubbish. It was only the new "Windows 2003" (which even though 2005 is nearing, is considered new by microsoft) that attracted me to the phone. Being a administrator of a mobile related website, I had to check out this phone. I am seriously impressed. Puts shame to it's previous version, and leaves all other phones in its dust.(...)
13 Great idea, poor signal
I'm thrilled with the way this phone syncs up with Outlook -- it's simplified my life in so many ways. HOWEVER, the downside is that the processor on this phone is too slow. Answering calls can sometimes be an exercise in futility and don't even TRY to make call-waiting work. It's pointless.
My old AT&T Nokia phone was light years ahead of this phone in terms of reception and call quality. I repeatedly have dropped calls and I've learned which parts of the city I can't get good reception in. (Including my house!) This was never a problem with my old non-GSM phone.
Caller ID on the front display only works on a couple of numbers in my phone book. Usually, I have to open the phone to see who is calling.
The battery cover on the back is very thin and has a tendancy to pop off.
Other than that, this is a nice sturdy phone and has many useful features -- so much better than a PDA! Once they perfect this type of phone, I'll be thrilled!
14 Good Idea but... Will not reccomend
The idea behind this phone is what every electronic gadget aficionado dreams about. But the phone itself is a nightmare. First of all it runs on the 1800/1900MHz bands. Of which only one is used in the United States. Secondly the processor is VERY slow and can not keep up with the buttons being pushed by your finger. In addition the operating system is very unstable and locks up all the time. The caller ID does not display intime to see who is calling. It only displayed the caller's number even if the person's information was stored in the phone.
One nice aspect was the SD card and the fact that you can take your photos and other downloaded files from your desktop computer with you in the phone.
I had mine for just over 2 months and had all kinds of problems and went through 3 phones from warranty. finally with 22 months left on the contract I could not see myself using this phone for the duration of the contract. AT&T was nice enough to exchange the phone for me with a V600.(Motorola has authorized this swap for users who complain enough)
If the next generation is released I will give it another try though. It is a great concept.
15 Poor signal!
This phone has the worst signal of any cell phone I have ever used. It is barely usable in areas where other AT&T phones get great signal. Also, the audio quality is sub-par and the volume is too low, even when turned up all the way. I returned this phone after using it for a weekend. Save your money -- this phone is not worth the money!
16 MPx200
Very Poor reception, almost impossible to use inside a building or in my home. ATT is almost impossible to call for support. If you are going to call ATT you are going to be on the phone for hours, not minutes, HOURS. ATT was supposed to accept this MPx200 phone for retrun by sending me shipping labels but the never did so.
17 If it sucked anymore, it would be names Hoover
The phone alone is what sold me on picking up service with ATT. First off, they suck. They suck in so many ways. Customer service. Reception. Rate plans & trying to change one to pay them $ and being told I needed to resign up for 1 more yr.
I tried to port my number to them and I ended up just getting a new one because after a week of calls, the people I spoke to didn't have a clue, then they have me a new number and I never reached anyone.
They gave me a month credit. Next the MMode stopped working. Att said it could be repaired via some settings, didn't work. Called back and after trying 10 things, they send me a new phone. New phone worked for 2 hrs. Sent me another phone. I said I should not have to pay a nickle at this point for 3 phones, but they still charged me insurance fee.
ATT then added on to my bill 2.99 for a service I never asked for. Demanded it removed and said I should get another month credit for another one of their screw ups. They said they can't since they have given me 1 free month in a 6 month period. I said this is THEIR fault for a 1 month credit.
9 months into this phone, the mmode don't work again. The connection still stinks. Battery life has gotten progressivly worse and i need to wait little less than 3 months until my contract is up. I wanna switch to cingular since I did have good receiption from them, but they merged with ATT.
I think I am going to go to verizon. Selection of phone stink but always heard about solid service with them.
18 In fact zero stars would be more like it!
This phone is useless, it may look nice, and you may think you have have a good phone ... but NO not only is the battery life is very poor, no camera, small buttons, bad uability ...
I have sent my phone of 3 times to be fixed from an unrecoverable crash ... motorola still haven't acknowledged it is faulty. I am very upset with the phone and the service .. I am afraid I will never buy motorola again, and suggest noone else does.
19 Good Phone but Horrible ATT service.
This phone is great you get the best of both worlds. Your cell phone a your PDA. I love it. But what was horrible was the ATT Wireless service. Dropped call all the time. If you are in a building cant barely hear the phone, and I live in a major city Miami so it's not because of the area. If you can get the phone with a different carrier highly recommend it. If not STAY away...
20 Motorola how the great have fallen.
I live in san jose. I use AT&T Service and this stupid phone.
1> Extremely poor battery life (less than 24 hours).
2> Extremely poor signal and dropped calls.
3> Frequent lock-ups or slowdowns in Operating System.
4> AT&T not providing upgrade to 2003.
You may say well maybe you just got a defective phone..
NO, I've had this phone exchanged 2 times and it still sucks.
21 Complicated but Happy with Phone
Love the phone, but it is complicated for someone with limited skills. I am looking forward the MPX220 with its bluetooth tech and phone. If you prefer to not have those features this is a great phone to get.
This phone uses battery power like crazy invest in a few back batteries if you travel much.
22 Just Replace the OS...and the phone improves 110%
All you need is the version of SmartPhone 2003 which is being used in Europe, thanks Orange. Coverage and speed increase dramactically. If you can get this phone for $50 bucks and flash it for free...you have yourself quite a phone!!! Again...this is a very extensible phone. I've never had the rebooting problem, but others have. 2003 OS supports bluetooth and camera.
23 Worst Phone I've Ever Owned
Probably a combination of phone and service provider.
1> Extremely poor battery life (less than 24 hours).
2> Extremely poor signal and dropped calls.
3> Frequent lock-ups or slowdowns in Operating System.
4> AT&T not providing upgrade to 2003.
Enough said. I've switched to a Motorola V710 with Verizon. At least in Houston, CDMA blows the doors off of GSM. Get 5 bars on my V710 when my MPx200 showed between 1 and 2 bars.
Lousy phone, glad to be rid of it.
24 The Good With The Bad
I've had the MPX200 for about 7-8 months now, and it's definately cool to be able to so easily and seemlessly synchronize contacts, tasks and calendar with my office Outlook account. I haven't quite figured out how to sync corporate email to the thing as yet, but I'm told I can. Coming from AT&T Digital One-Rate service with a Motorola V-60, I was and continue to be somewhat disappointed in the coverage offered on their GSM network. I travel extensively throughout the US, and while it's great not to have to worry about roaming, there are also many MANY occasions where I'm in the car with a colleague who has 5x5 digital service, and I'm looking at my sleek, pretty and utterly-then useless MPX200 GSM that doesn't have ANY service. It works great in urban locations, and I tend to get a better signal inside many buildings (NYC) than many of my digitally-oriented counterparts. As for the phone, the snazz-factor is pretty high, with the ability to download a plethora of programs, add-ons, games, et al. but the thing does have a propensity to "crash" (a la the Windows of yester-year), requiring an annoying and time-consuming hard reboot (remove and reinstall battery). I'm not quite sure why updates, patches, fixes for the Windows Smartphone 2002 software are not available, but most websites/weblogs I've ready indicate that there is no plan whatever by either Motorola or Bill Gates to offer upgrades. There is some whispering of the "next generation" SmartPhone (MPX330 I think) which is an even cooler unit which flips open like the 200 phone one way, and flips open the other way to act more like a PDA. Can't wait for that one, though I'm sure that AT&T will take an additional 6 months of re-working to set it up to ensure that it won't work on any other network but theirs.... All in all, it's been a good phone, and I would generally recommend it. It's cool, and has remained expensive enough through the past year that it's not common-place. The easy ability to install an SD card right into a slot on the side is great, and when you connect the phone to your PC (USB), the phone automatically becomes another USB drive, so it's easy to transport documents from, say, office to home. Just copy them from your office C:\ drive to the phone (e.g., v:\ drive) and then plug the phone in at home and copy them to your home PC. Simple to use, completely Windows OS friendly.
25 Great now I can reboot my phone and my pc!
I thought it would be great. Windows on my cell phone. Then I realized that all the bugs come with it too. This phone keeps crashing and popping error messages. Worst of all ATT locked me into a 2 agreement that they won't let me out of even though I can't get service in my own house unless I stand out on the curb by the street! Buy something else or you can have mine. Horrible experience with this phone and Att.
26 A nice little thing that crashes too often...
I've purchased this cellphone a couple of months ago. I've been a Palm and Pocket PC user for many years, and I've experimented many other devices. The MPX200 offers an ideal combination between size and Outlook compatibility. You can easily view/edit your Outlook contacts, emails, appointments, etc. without having to carry around one of those bulky pocket PC's. Outlook tasks management is quite poor, and you need to purchase additional software to make it acceptable - without any other input device than the keypad, don't expect to write long tasks. On the other hand, this unit is a little bit too thick and a little bit too heavy when compared to other cellphones. But the ugliest part of the story is that the MPX200 crashes much too often. I don't count the number of times I had to "reboot" the unit, by removing the battery, since using the on/off button does not work !! This is especially boring since it takes forever to boot...All in all, I'm not sure I would recommend to anybody to buy this unit. It's probably worth having a look at the Sony-Ericsson models that are also Outlook compatible - but you won't get the Windows interface...
27 Baysan
I think this telephone is the worst one I ever had. It has broken down on me maybe a million times. It is big and hard to carry. Worst part is that it turns itself off during the conversation. I had it presumably fixed abt 5 times but still has the same problem. I will get rid of it asap.
28 Mpx200
The phone is very good. However, the service isn't. I moved from Sprint to AT&T GSM. I didn't see that much difference in service. Both are almost same (AT&T is little bit better).
Good things about this phone: Outlook Sync, Expandable (SD Card), Installing new programs, Auto Profile.
Worst things about this phone: Time is not Sync with the Satellite - won't automatically adjust time with time zone changes (EST, CST, etc) very bad for frequent travels or with day light saving timings, Caller ID is not working properly - only showing numbers in the external LCD even the entry is in the phone book, Have to press the Phone-Hang button 3 to 4 times to end a call, Speaker phone is not good, Battery performance is very bad.
Good things about the service: No roaming charge for National service plans thought USA, Your phone works on any GSM network (Cingular, T-Mobile, etc).
Worst things about the service: No signal even in my home (outside works fine) - in traveling I have some problems with signal, Drop calls (a lot - similar to sprint), no free cell to cell minutes unless both phones are on AT&T network (Ex: Assume that you are calling a friend who also has AT&T GSM service. You are traveling and your phone is showing Cingular or T-Mobile or something else (other than AT&T), then your minutes are not counted as cell-to-cell minutes. Vice versa too - when you are in AT&T and your friend is on different network. THIS IS VERY BAD when both are paying for AT&T service but won't get free cell-to-cell minutes.)
29 An excellent gadget if you like that sort of thing
I am definitely in love with my MPx200. It is a sleek looking little phone packed with features, and recently the price has made it a very worthwhile purchase. My only gripes would be that there is a bit of a learning curve associated with a windows based phone and that the phone tends to cut out when using the earpiece w/ mic.
However pluses include being able to use ANYTHING as a ringtone, syncing with microsoft outlook for appts and contacts, and you can even play movies on it with an added smart card storage card. It's definitely attractive with deep black and blue tones and no antennae. If i had to buy a phone now i would probably go for its next gen version the MPx220...but this one the price cant be beat.
30 It works in the UK
I am writing this just to correct the review that the MPX200 will not work overseas. I am currently in London and able to roam on the O2 network, which has pretty good coverage in the London area. My boss will probably kill me because of my phone bill but AT&T's roaming rates is another topic for discussion. 8-)
If you plan to use this phone overseas, there is a link on the AT&T website that tells you which countries are using which frequency band and whether your particular AT&T model will roam on a particular overseas carrier.
31 Amazon is great.. phone is great, just say away from AT&T
WARNING: AT&T representatives ("Dawn: R361" and "Max: N360") themselves said during my troubleshooting (as detailed below) that I should NOT have bought through Amazon, and that they have received a barrage of complaints from Amazon buyers! I still really like Amazon, but they're integration with AT&T is non existent. People should not have to wait 2-3 days for service after they receive the phone. Buy the same phone on Amazon, but a different carrier.
32 For early adoters only!!!
This phone ushers in the next generation of converged phone and PDA device. My last phone was a Samsung S105 with IRDA sync capabilities. This required a kludge middleware for Outlook that never did what I wanted. With the MPx200 I was able to take this phone out of the box and sync roughly 240 Outlook contacts, ~700 email, and a years worth of calendar events in less than 5 minutes. This amounts to almost 500 phone numbers, ~300 email addresses, street addresses for each contact (home and/or business), and annual events (such as birthdays, anniversaries, etc.), and notes for each contact. If I were to stop here and use the "PDA" function as a glorified phonebook then I should be really delighted. Of course, this phone does a lot more than this...I'll not go in to it as you can download the manual and check it out for yourself. BTW, the manual is rather poor. (...)
As for the 3 stars, this phone lives on the absolutely horrible AT&T network. I was reluctant to purchase this phone and I now know that my fears were valid. Fortunately, the phone works relatively well in San Diego. With the 900 MHz disabled, I expect coverage issues. I decided to forego the (...) to keep my early adopter pain to just one year. After that, this phone will make a decent MP3 player and phonebook...the radio can be turned off altogether for operation in "Airplane Mode."
If you have a Pocket PC then you already know how to use this phone. The only obstacle is the lack of stylus based entry. There are lots of neat functions in this phone:
* Based on your calendar appointments, the phone enters and exits vibrate/silent mode automatically.
* Internet Explorer will operate through the USB sync cable to your PC's Internet connection.
* Email client will produce hyperlinks for phone numbers in the message and allow you to dial with a single button press. Additionally, all email and hyperlinks will invoke Internet Explorer. I wish Outlook would incorporate this feature.
* The usual "voice dial" also calls programs. This helps to overcome the lack of touch screen.
* The phone will charge and sync via 1 USB cable from a PC. This is great for me since I will not have to pack another charger. The battery is not bad if you simply use the phone. If you start using the PDA functions and play a few games then your battery will drain in less than a day.
So, consider whether you want to participate in Bill Gates Beta (or Alpha) test with lots of inconvenience. If you'll stick to the basics then you'll appreciate this phone immensely.
33 False advertisement - this phone is NOT a tri-band phone
I bought this phone in December, hoping that it would work worldwide. That is NOT the case. The 900MHz band is disabled, so the phone is useless outside of the US. The rest of the world enjoys a real tri-band version of the phone
If you are not traveling overseas - the phone is nice. I have been using it without a problem. The carrier, however, is a huge problem. Dropped calls, spotty coverage, it has the worse customer service, etc. Another problem is that ATT does not plan to release Windows Mobile 2003 for this phone. As oddly as it sounds, the phone is still sold with Windows Mobile 2002. The OS is available, but as ATT does not want to release it in hope that it will force you to buy another phone instead of upgrading this one.
In summary: It is a nice phone, but it doesn't worth more that $50-$60. The carrier (by turning off the 900MHz and not making the 2003 upgrade available) pretty much killed the otherwise very nice piece of equipment.
34 Garbage
I'm on my second phone. Reception is horrible, even when other AT&T phones next to mine are getting good signal. It has no "antenna" so the antenna gain must be horrible compared to other phones. A Motorolla V600 has 2 signal bars above this phone.
DON'T DO IT.
35 Great phone but bad service
This phone works for me but the AT&T Wireless service is terrible. I constantly get dropped calls or no service in areas that I had service with T-mobile. As for the phone it works really well. Sync-ing with my desktop is a snap. I have over 300 contacts with notes and it links perfectly. Relatively intuitive functions. Here are a few shortcomings: ringer is soft, vibrate is low. I miss calls in crowded places because I can't hear nor feel the phone.
36 No other phone/pda combo compares
I've owned an MPx200 since January 2004. Motorola hit a homerun, although they stumbled at first.
I had AT&T Wireless replace my handset because there is a known glitch in the Caller ID (external display).
The display is beautiful. I highly recommend this phone unless you live in a smaller city where 1900Mhz isn't readily available. The new MPx220 addresses this issue and also gives you Quad Band capability and the new Operating System (Windows Mobile 2003).
Overall, this phone is excellent. It has replaced my PDA and I listen to music on it all the time.
37 User Interface Designed by Retards
The hardware part of this phone seems ok, although the style is a little bit too 1975 sci-fi for me. But physically the phone isn't too bad. The battery life is shorter than I was used to, and I have to recharge the phone every few days if I don't use it, and every night if I do.
This phone uses the new GSM protocol, and not every cel tower has been upgraded I guess, because this phone drops connection and has much worse audio quality than my old TDMA phone which was crystal clear and never dropped. But that's an infrastructure problem and not the fault of the phone, and this problem will improve as time goes by.
But the real problem with this phone is the user interface! I have to press THREE KEYS TO HANG THE PHONE UP!!! LOL If I just fold this flipphone closed to hang up, a horrible feedback squeal perforates the eardrum of the poor unfortunate soul on the other end of the line! LOOOL greaaaaat, thanks Microsuck, MY CUSTOMERS *LOVE IT* WHEN I BREAK THEIR EARDRUMS! If I was selling hearing aids, this might be a good thing!
Pretty much everything on this phone is a huge chore! The options and features of the phone are there, but using them is a pain because the UI was designed by retarded bog shrews...
Don't get me wrong, I like many of Microsoft's products, but *not this one*. It's just awful.
It has an MMC slot and IR port which I haven't used, and comes with a USB cable and software to interface to Outlook, but I haven't tried that yet either. If the phone integrates properly with Outlook, I think it will improve my rating. Appointment alarms and the ability to edit your contacts in your computer will be a big plus, and after I install the interface software, if it makes a big difference, I might come back and revise this review.
The phone has a lot of bells and whistles, and most everything I've tried works, but I have better things to do than sit down for 15 minutes every other day figuring out how to use my freakin phone! lol And don't think I'm being picky here... I've used Nokia, Samsung and other phones and even got some use out of a PDA for a few months once, so I've seen good User Interface--this ain't it.
Maybe Microsoft will get it right next time... and I won't say the phone is bad or worthless or unusable. But you've been warned, so if you do buy it, expect some frustration.
38 worst... phone... EVER!
i am an experienced mobile phone user, formerly employeed within the industry, and i must say that this is the worst phone i ever had. i've never had to restart a phone for anything other than service programming. this phone has frozen countless times and needed to be rebooted. in some cases, a hard restart was necessary. as a result, information and installed programs were lost. access time varies as well. it seems that the more junk is installed, the longer it takes to cycle through the menus for anything. reception provided by the internal antenna is terrible, in conjunction with AT&T's horrible service. if it weren't for cingular, i would have hardly any service at all. clearly cingular has superior coverage, as my bars are almost at full strength when using their towers.
on the positive side, i used this phone overseas and had no problems. it found every network i needed to maintain service, with no problem whatsoever. the outlook sync is great. setting up your pop3 is easy. the browser is very good and can visit most html sites (no java, no flash), however, beware the data rate. the media player plays mp3, wma, and wmv files just fine. no mpegs or avis. the phone is sturdy, solid, and the speaker is adequate. the ear piece is just ok.
although, the insurance company, warranty center, and call center customer care have no idea, i've been told by an AT&T store rep that this phone has been discontinued. other phone geeks in net forums confirm this as well. however, retailers are still pushing this phone. i recommend either doing more research on the next model (mpx220 or mpx300- not sure what it is going to be), or looking into the comparable samsung i600.
if you have seen a lot great rebates available for this phone, now you know why.
39 Very good phone. Very poor service.
Very disatisfied with ATT Wireless service. Even in the midst of Chicago Loop I usually have the "No Service" legend on the screen. What's worst is that the legend stay for ever there and I have to turn the phone off and back on to get service. Also, I usually have service outages with messages sayng there is a problem with the SIM card.
What had me write this review is that I right now can't dial!!! No even entering a number. Weirdest. And in addition, just realized my whole calendar and contacts list is missing. It'is frustrating.
Connecting ATT customer service? A pain. You stay there for 20 minutes -or more- and when you get to a rep signal is lost. Extremely lousy.
As far as with the phone, it has great qualities. I hope they improve radically the service now that ATT is part of Cingular.
40 Indifferent
I have had this phone for about 2 weeks. Switching from Cingular (old Nokia 8265) to AT&T on GSM i thought was a good idea. Ok, now for the phone review.
On the surface, this phone is amazing. You can sync to Outlook (I have over 300 contacts!) is a great feature. The speakerphone leaves something to be desired though, and the headset is a JOKE! No one can hear me talking unless they are on a cell phone and can turn up the volume. i have 3 different headsets and have tried all of them (plantronics, and the two motorola headsets that came with it, none are better than the others).
The phone signal quality is horrible. Since I have owned the phone, I have been to New Orleans and Atlanta, GA and Jackson, MS, all with horrific spotty coverage. This can only be due to lack of external anntenna. My friend here has a v600 and a full signal, and i have one little bar.
The battery life is so-so. Not the 270 minutes they claim, more like 90 minutes. If you are using speakerphone, try about 30 minutes! MP3 player is overrated. If you really want MP3 Player, get an IPOD or soemthing that does it specifically. For some reason, this phone does not change networks automatically (like AT&T said it would) but I have to change it manually... like, when I have no signal, yet my friend on Cingular does, I have to change it manually to cingular. This must be so that AT&T can keep you on their networks unless you know how to chnage it. Again, very frustrating.
When you are talking on it plugged in, you hear alot of electrical buzzing in the background that the other party can hear... it's very annoying. Oh yeah, i STILL cannot figure out how to use this damn thing as a modem... not that it matters b/c I can't get a signal, but it was a big selling point for me b/c I travel frequently and don't want to pay the 10 bucks a day the hotel charges for internet access.
If you can wait until the mpx220 comes out in july or whenever, do it. If you are an early adopter like myself, try the phone... but, you might have to send it back! I just talked to AT&T and I am sending it back and getting the v600 with the external antenna. These phones have a LONG way to come until they are fully useable.
Good Luck!
Stephen
41 Not a good product
I have bought this phone a less than a three weeks and I am on my third phone. The first one would not get a signal no matter where I was. The second phone just decided to stop charging and now the one I have now will just go from a full battery to a dead on at random also there is an electronic noise on calls. I needed a phone to sync with my outlook so I wouldn't have to carry a PDA and a phone but this one was not worth it.
42 the service is horrible
The phone sucks. The voice quality is horrible.
43 technology fails in practice
I was entranced by the technology and foolishly purchased the phone. Too many gizmos that do not work in practice, too cumbersome to utilize in the real world, too difficult to execute its commands. It will not even synch with daylight savings. NO customer support from either ATT or Motorola. While I hate to waste the money it is going to the trash heap.
44 Great idea for a phone--if only it worked!
After what I thought was thorough research, I purchased the Motorolla MPX200 smartphone with the AT&T GSM service. I live in the Portland OR metro area and the signal strength on this unit is a joke. Everytime I attempt to call someone, I either have no signal or I have to play the "cell yell" game. It's ironic that AT&T has launched their new ad campagin for the GSM America service which shows a user of another wireless service with his signal bars over his head. It's ironic because I'm that guy and I'm with AT&T GSM! The PDA features of the phone are cool but sometimes sluggish and battery life is poor 1+ day of standby time. As tempting as it looks, do not fall for this phone's good looks and promises of an all in one device. It's not worth it.
45 Phone/ATT Service are Terrible!
Purchased 2 phones for my wife and I at Christmas. I've had to return mine twice because the phone "just died". Error messages are constant when trying to place a call. The phone does not work anywhere! There is "No Service" sometimes in the middle of downtown Chicago! ATT just doesn't care anymore - they have NO customer service aptitude and Motorola seems to feel the same way - too bad, you bought it - you have to live with it. It's cute - but that's all I can say about it!
46 Don't be tempted by the nice package and cheap price
I came back to AT&T for this phone and it was a huge mistake. Service could not be worse (D.C. and Northern Virginia). AT&T and Motorola refuse to properly support this "upgradeable" phone. They refuse issue software upgrades that are available, primarily because they want to force customers to buy expensive new equipment (other phone providers are giving the upgrades on their phones for free or a relatively low price; see http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/products/pocketpc/about/2003/upgrade.mspx). You will not be able to access any new areas of the AT&T network because it is being built out in a frequency that this phone does not receive (remember, you will be committed for two years). You will not be able to count on using it internationally because AT&T has blocked out the 900 mhz frequency (it's available on this phone, AT&T simply blocked it!!). There are too many problems with AT&T and this phone to list in one review. Pay attention to others on this site, while it may be hard to believe that anything could be this bad, it is, primarily because AT&T service (network and customer service) is a disaster.
47 This is beta version...
Good
- cheap
- memory extension slot
- small
- speakerphone
- free synchronization software
- USB recharchable
- looks very nice - Motorola has done an exellent job with hardware...
Bad
- battery life - doesn't even last a day
- reception - my 4 years old StarTech had better reception than this one...
- boot time - it takes more than 1 min for the phone to boot !!!
- extemely slow to all commands
- it's a phone , damn it: when you press "end" button you expect
the phone to end the conversation !!!, not to lock up on you so you have to pull the battery out to reset it!
- doesn't have a bluetooth
- headset is awfull !!! - noises all the time, proprietary...
- AT&T ships this phone with old 2002 Smartphone OS and put's a lot of extra AT&T mMode crap on the phone...
Conclusion:
It's a nice toy if you are not planning to use it as a phone...
48 I Love my Phone!!
I love love love this phone! But I'll tell you the bad news first: I switched to ATT from sprint for this phone and have no regrets. Yes, the number switching took a bit of hassle and online waiting and numerous calls to double and triple check that the process had been started. The att service is comperable to sprint I'm in New York and the ATT rep at the store in Times Square rolled his eyes and sighed when I brought the phone to him for the SIN change he said that the phone doesnt get good service in the city-- but I haven't had a problem yet. I also have not figured out how to send email from my pop3 server (I can receive just fine). Those problems are the only reason this phone didnt get 5 stars from me.
Now for the good news! The phone syncs with outlook VERY easily!!! That meant that my entire phonebook was entered into the phone in a matter of seconds and my calendar is updated daily as I charge the phone. If only I could have synced it with my old phone (a kyocera that had a broken display so I cant even see the numbers to transfer them). You can even pull notes and task lists from outlook into the phone. that makes it easy to make a to do list, and take it on the road.
I can check my email anytime from any of my pop3 accounts.
Caller ID problem is this: Caller's phone number is sometimes displayed instead of the callers name, even if the caller is in your phone book. If you associate phone numbers with people anyway, its not a problem.
the display is GREAT!!!! everyone wants to see it when you pull the phone out.
the calendar is FANTASTIC -- and no, you dont have to have mmode to use the outlook features. You dont even have to have service. I can look at my calendar on the train.
I dont use the mp3 player or most of the other features but with the rebates, this phone was the greatest buy! I'm very happy with it.
49 the best
This is the best cell phone that human eyes have seen. You can do everything with it.Also it has a color screen and you could say that it is a computers but smaller.
50 Expensive phone for diminishing returns
I'm not somone who requires 18 different functions from his cell phone, but I bought this one because I had an amazing deal on it. In the end, the Microsoft OS irritated me the same way their desktop OSes do; too much operational overhead. In fact, I even went into the "Task Manager" to shut off some "extra" processes that were taking up too much memory. I am in Raleigh/Durham NC and the phone picked up Cingular WAY too often - I guess their signal is stronger than AT&T's, and I hate paying the extra fees for their service.
Pros: Nice design materials
Upgradeable memory chip
Nice display
USB interface
Cons: Microsoft OS complex - e.g. 6 menu levels to change ringer
Volume wheel on outside of phone (!) and changes in pocket
Battery life is horrible
Low Battery messages accumulate, you have to dismiss like 4 of them to type anything else.
hanging up phone is confusing - Is it hung up? Tiny icons on screen for this operation.
I DO not recommend this phone unless you have money to burn and you want to "wow" your friends, and you don't care about all the cons.
51 Great phone and AT&T is the way to go.
(Living in AL) Have researched for the best plan and phone. Everyone is on the Nextel kick because of the walkie talkie but their plans are not the best. AT&T is the best plan - looking at the coverage map. They have the best coverage by far. Also, disregard the reviewer who spoke of roaming charges. He might want to reread the plan because National Plans have no roaming charges.
The phone is excellent. Takes a few lessons to get the hang out of it but over all - would rank it as better that others I have seen. Samung is ranked high on the AT&T website - not sure why as Motorola has the display on the outside.
52 Terrible Reception and VERY Short Battery life
I purchased an MXP 200 and was very disappointed with the receiption and battery life. I could not go the whole day on a single charge if I made more than 30 minutes of calls. I could not call from my basement, although my sisters, much cheaper, Siemens C56 worked great in the same spots.
All very odd to me, but I wish it was better as I loveed the other features.
Rob
53 IT WORKS WELL FOR ME
I purchased the Motorola MPx200 Smartphone through AT&T with a calling plan. When I received the phone I was excited to see that it looked so good. The color home screen is great and you can change the color to suit your mood. I especially like the calendar with reminder as I am generally on the go and it keeps me on time for appointments. The phone is a well built, rugged product but did not come with a holster or pouch so I purchased one from AT&T after I decided to keep the phone. It has so many extra functions that I have not yet tried like mMode, internet explorer and email. If I get around to using these I will write another review.
54 DO NOT USE THIS PHONE WITH ATT GSM
The phone works and the sync to outlook is nice but the ATT GSM network is a disaster even in a major metropolitan area like San Francisco. And ATT's response to my inquiries about improvements to GSM were basically met with a shrug. And since Cingular has improved their coverage and have a stronger signal, I can't even use my phone at all without paying roaming charges. Even in my home territory. Unbelieveable! And ATT's resolution specialists are anything but -- I'm locked into a contract so they said too bad. Interesting approach to customer service....
55 MPX 200 A BIG DISAPOINTMENT
I had the Sony/Ericson t68I and the receptions stunk...I had the phone replaced 5 times and was happy to see ATT&T upgraded the phone to a new version for free. That new one worked pretty good but lacked all the features I wanted so I ordered the Mpx200 along with my Partner. The signal is absolutely Horrible! you hear about every other word and half my calls go to Voicemail. I love the looks of the phone and the Contact Intergration but I am just pissed with the signal. EVerybody keeps telling me that Siemens makes the best GSM phone for reception on the GSM network. I would dump AT&T and this phone if I had not just renewed my $99.00 Nationwide Unlimited GSM charter plan for another 2 years..Any suggestions? I talk over 5,000 Mins per month and I need a phone that works. Richard_Decoursy@dsg-corp.com
56 Cool features...but questionable quality and coverage
I bought my original MPX200 at Best Buy in December 2003. I wanted a cell phone that, in addition to having the usual phone features, allowed me to access my Microsoft Outlook contact and schedule information and to do basic checking of e-mail. When I was in range of AT&T service, calls were clear, and even when I wasn't, I could at least access my Outlook information without a problem. Unfortunately, AT&T doesn't have great coverage around my house (in Redford, Michigan--right outside of the Detroit city limits, where there shouldn't be coverage gaps), and...the phone itself went on the fritz, and I had to have it replaced. The phone wouldn't boot properly: it would get to the initial mLife screen and then shut itself off. Nothing seemed to work to boot the thing, and the technicians at Best Buy were unable to figure out the problem, so Best Buy just replaced it (which used up my extended warranty/replacement plan, causing me to buy a new plan for the replacement phone). Not good.
57 Phone OK, company HORRIBLE
I bought one of these directly from AT&T in October. The phone was ok, but it wasn't a powerful enough PDA for a prior Pocket PC user like myself. The sound quality was excellent, but the menu moved slow as heck. There really weren't many more features there that you couldn't find on any ordinary newer wireless phone. The biggest upside was the synch with Outlook, which really worked well. The biggest downside (for me at least) was the speed and horrible message notification. I missed virtually every voicemail due to non-notification. My biggest issue is with the company itself, AT&T Wireless. When I ordered the MPx200, they charged me twice for ONE phone, which they mailed directly to me. Simple enough, right? Just remove the obvious bad charge and I'm ok, right? Well, it is now April and I am STILL waiting for a credit to my account. They keep saying they have to "investigate" or "dispute" the charges. Not only that, but the phone was even returned many months ago, so I have NOTHING but a lingering bogus charge. My service has been interrupted three times for the still pending "credit" (all at $25 per pop re-activation, which I was just advised today will NOT be credited anymore unless the "delinquent" amount is paid. Calls to their customer care are fruitless and when I even tried to post in their forum (as a 6+ year subscriber), they censored and deleted all my messages which said nothing more than what you just read. There is a lot more to tell (such as being entered into an additional year contract without my knowledge or consent when I purchased the problematic wireless phone), but I've wasted enough of your time. Try another phone/provider, TRUST ME on this.
58 Exhorbitant internet rate.
First I am greatly disturbed that I had only one seller to choose from who carries this phone furthermore I am insulted that AT&T the only phone carrier I have ever had treets new customers better than existing ones. This phone was free to new subscribers and I could only get the Price down to $165.00.
The internet rates are so high. They charged me $18.55 to download 3 or 4 web pages and time to set up my accounts. I had to make them give me the credit because I had an agreement that it would be free during the trial period. However the billing system is so improperly set up that billing information is charged in categories that aren't even supposed to exist.
59 The Good and the Bad
Not only do you have to keep track of your minutes on your cell plan, but you have to keep track of the battery life on this monster. It is practically useless. I have had this phone die on me multiple times in the past 2 weeks of owning this phone during critical times when I needed to make a phone call. Forget about the multifunctional aspects of this phone if you cant even make a phone call. They should expand the battery size to really make this a genuine brick. It is somewhat heavy and slippery. It doesnt have a spring loaded flipping mechanism so you kinda have to open it up with two hands, unless you have a really long thumb, which is the same problem with the NEC 515 and 525. If you are going to get this phone, get an extra battery for $10 and a car charger for $5 at cellphoneshop.net. Your gonna need this thing plugged in at all times. Good things about this phone are that it has a very nice screen and plenty of software on the net to tweak it with. It plays MP3s, WMV, wav and whatever you can stick it (it runs Windows Media Player)and comes with headphones. It has an SD slot for limitless memory. It is one of the few cell phones that can pick up a CLEAR signal in my area that lacks an ATT GSM signal. The other phone that can pick up a signal is the Siemens S56. The Moto MPx200 is an international phone with frequencies of 1800 and 1900. North America uses 850 and 1900. Europe uses 900 and 1800. I'm not sure what Asia uses.
60 This Phone is Almost Obsolete
The phone suffers from Microsoft's "Smartphone 2000" moble OS: it's sluggish, eats memory, and has a menu screen-set that is extremely confusing. It will not be upgraded to the 2003 OS. It will not accept the 850 band upgrade that AT&T is working on to provide better reception in the key markets. In six months this phone will be obsolete -- that's why prices are dropping -- AT&T is trying to dump its inventory on unsuspecting customers.
61 Not A Bad Selection
So far, the MPX 200 has out performed by trusty IPAQ in the areas of Outlook use. The Contacts List dialing works great and eliminates the need for voice dial. The MPX 200 won't eliminate my IPAQ, but will allow me to use my IPAQ as more of a travel companion versus my laptop. Overall reliability in 2 months use has been excellent. Battery life is very good, but not to the same levels as some other phones. Best to carry a Motorola sapre battery.
62 Great Phone, AWFUL Service from AT&T Wireless
Nice Phone, too bad the dropped calls just keep coming. If you're in the NY City metro area, go with another carrier.
AT&T Wireless is not up to snuff for business use. Many, many dropped calls and when you complain, you're to be told by a rude robot a million and 1 reasons why it couldn't possibly be the network. Who cares, they obviously don't. Thank goodness they'll being sold and all current minions fired!
63 OK/POOR phone/OK service
1/ I got this free after promotion offer around 12/03. (great).
2/ The purpose for using the phone is to be able to hear sound from the phone. If you don't hear any sound from the phone then it is only as good as a fancy paper weight. This is due to a few different reasons:
a/ the phone is unable to receive signal (bad internal receiver...) (Poor phone)
b/ service area from provider (ATT) not very good so far for this MPx200. (poor service or coverage areas)
c/ side-by-side (literally less than 1 inch apart)(...) much less expensive ($100- free after promotion offer). I put both phones on the kitchen counter;MPx200 has NO SERVICE(...). (BAD RECEIVER-this is the primary purpose of the WIRELESS phone !!!!). contacted Motorola via email, they told me to bring the to local service centers (bestbuy, circuit city, radioshack........,
d/ one good feature that i use often is the voice recorder.
Hope this will help some poor souls outhere ready to $300-$500 for this phone.
64 Advertized features do not work
The following features do not work 'as advertised' by AT&T and Motorola. Although the documentation and software for the features is there, the features do not work when activated for one reason or another:
- Integrated Voice Dial. (You can program voice recognition for the numbers in the phone book, but the "jog" dial button on the side does not activate voice dial per the user's manual and Motorola's site). Notice that Amazon has taken Integrated Voice Dial off of their description, although Motorola.com has not.
- VPN does not work. Our internal IT guys say that they have had dozens of calls from MPX200 users who are unable to access the network, although other Pocket PC users have no problem.
- Access to a corporate MS Exchange server requires that the company purchase an upgrade to Exchange 2003. (Or they rebuild it as a POP3 server).
- Speakerphone does not work. Period.
- Software to display MS Word or Excel documents was not included as promised.
Additional bugs:
- Response to the call pick up button is slow. Sometimes it is so slow that you miss the call.
- Frequently drops calls despite five bars of signal strength (but everybody's phone does this...)
- Volume on the earpiece sometimes drops to almost nothing. Adjusting the volume knob has no effect.
I have spent many hours (mostly on hold) with AT&T over the past weeks and have been unable to resolve these issues.
When we were unable to resolve the issues on the phone, AT&T sent out a 'warranty replacement' unit (for a fee). Voice Dial did not work on the 'warranty replacement' either. Rather than going through the trouble of moving my data and programming the replacement, I returned the 'warranty replacement' without testing the other features.
I have talked with several other people who have MpX200s from AT&T who are unable to use any of these features as advertised. I have yet to meet anybody who is happy with this phone.
Warning: If you try to return the phone during the initial 30 day period, AT&T's sales folks will ask you to wait for 'bug fixes' that never appear. It seems that the intent of their tech support folks is to drag their feet troubleshooting until you exceed the 30 day return period. If you do decide to 'risk it' with this piece of vaporware, then be very firm when returning the phone and don't believe any assurances you receive unless they are in writing. Believe me, you become a nobody once the 30 day mark has been exceeded.
65 Great, if you can get one with the updated ROM
I'm on my fourth MPx200. Some might ask if I was crazy. Well, if the darn phone worked (Caller ID for one) correctly this phone would get five stars.
Motorola, AT&T and Microsoft did most of their homework. I finally got a replacement phone via AT&T's Warranty and Repair group. The phone included the updated ROM but stopped working after four hours. My Fifth phone is on its way. There really is a lot to be said for this phone. But, I warn the weak of heart. If you like the idea of synchronizing your music with this phone (just get a good 256MB SD Card while your shopping) then this is the phone for you.
If you don't need to synchronize from Outlook or Lotus Notes, or need the Calendar feature, then I'd recommend a phone from Nokia. Nokia's simplicity probably makes more sense.
I love my MPx200, warts and all... Now, if I could just get one that works as advertised and lasts longer than a day I'll be a very, very happy customer.
P.S. One thing more to remember, this phone works only on the 1900 Mhz Band. AT&T Wireless is no longer expanding their network using this frequency, instead putting energy towards the 850Mhz band which provides advantages. Eventually, you'll be asked to move to a different model of phone.
66 Where do I begin to tell you how bad this phone is?
1) I live in Silicon Valley and there are areas where I have no service.
2) Even when I do have service, it drops off regurally.
3) All of the apps are useless. I was initially excited about Pocket Streets, until I tried using it in the field.
4) It lacks features I thought are no-brainers such as mute.
5) Try dealing with AT&T Wireless support. Hahahaha.
Don't be a martyr with this phone. Wait a few years while Microsoft, AT&T and Motorola get their acts together. Well, maybe a few decades ...
67 Good one!!
This phone isn't bad actually, I bought the first day it came out, ...It is very easy to use since everthing is so much similar to windows. Also if you have outlook express, you can synchronize it with (outlook) address book, so you don't have to type anything in it. Also games, videos you can watch "by sd card 1 gig ...and you can watch the whole sex and the city on the phone".
Battery runs out fast and does have some reception problem when inside buildings (when compared to some Nokia phones). Has got some very interesting programs like "you have to buy some of these" like MS Word, XL etc. That should be it, I know I am missing out a lot of other data, but that is for you to discover when you buy it. Have fun.
68 Really, don't bother...
I owned this phone for a week and then returned it. The software is clumsy, the service (1900 mhz) is very spotty, and the phone is *very* plastic. In other words, this is a very poorly made waste of time for consumers looking for a real smartphone. I paid top dollar looking for a multi-function high end phone that would last me a long time, instead I got an unimpressive junker that I subsequently returned almost immediately. Please consider your purchase carefully as this may not be the phone for you at all.
69 This is the Mac Daddy of all the cell phones...
Purchased the phone from amazon 2 weeks ago. Not a pro at using it yet but life is just much simpler with this phone. True that ATT will not flash it with Win2003 but who needs that. There are some bugs but never really bother me. I have around 300 contacts and it works great. If you are a business user with over 1000 contacts, I can see some problem. Waiting for MPX220 might not be very smart either. If you are willing to pay around $500 for a new phone, kudos2u, but I am not. I want my phone free. When MPX220 has been around for a while I will upgrade (and mind you it will be free again). For now this is cutting edge. And close to free this phone rocks. Down the line I am pretty sure some good fella will post the Win2003 flash on the net (just like firmware and everything else that is available).
Pros:
1.T9 Keyboard (Its the life saver esp. if you use SMS)
2.MP3 player rocks (i take it everywhere, even workout)
3.The integerated PDA is very helpful though has its limitations.
4.Games, Ringtones and the familiar Windows format.
5.All that and you can still make phone calls.
6.Did I forget to mention that it charges via USB cable while connected to the PC (big big plus)... no need to carry your charger everywhere.
Cons:
1.Definitely ATT Service (They suck)
2.And so does their service (atleast here in Tampa.. too many bald spots)
3.No pouch included (like v300)
70 OK phone, horrible ATT service
I bought this phone in December and since then it is nothing but a pain. Not so much the phone as the service from ATT. Since you will probably read all about the bells and whistles I will summarize just the negative.
The phone:
- outdated OS2002, no plans for upgrade. The new models - MPx, MPx300 - will come with 2003. Probably they will come out in Q3 or Q4. Be sure to check the Microsoft web site for the difference between 2002 and 2003 - some are quite significant. For me there is no point buying upgradeable equipment, without the option to upgrade.
- Too much Microsoft. You have to use MS Outlook, MS ActiveSync, MS Word, MS Excel, MS etc. to be able to fully sync. If, for example, your mail client is Eudora - tough luck. Pretty closed platform with very limited software available (if you are not up to games or ring tones).
- This phone is NOT a tri-band phone. It has only 1900/1800 MHz GSM. The ATT branded OS does not even show the 900 MHz. If you re-flash the OS you will see the option available. Whether it is working or not is still debatable - for more details please check the forums at www.mpx200.org. Note that those are user community forums - no official word from either ATT or Motorola (speaking of support and openness?)
The service (I bought it from ATT):
- The coverage in 1900 MHz is pretty spotty. There is a rumor that ATT will completely phase it out and move their GSM entirely to the 850 MHz. If that happens you will end up with a very nice looking brick on your desk. Again, no official statement approving or denying from ATT.
- Tons of dropped calls when the phone indicates sufficient coverage. ATT gives you credit for those, but that might cause you some embarrassment.
- Customer Service at its worst: you will be on hold for at least 15-20 minutes, even at 1:00 AM. They always have "unusually high call volume" (if something is constantly unusual doesn't that mean it becomes usual:-))
- I am still waiting (more than 2 months now) for them to fix the mess they created with the plan I requested. Meanwhile they are overcharging me.
The bottom line: Even though the service is horrible the phone is OK - it is a real PDA, the size is also very good. Some people may want to have a keyboard, but that will definitely increase the size - check the Treo 600 (which also has worse resolution than MPx200). I have read some stories about the battery life - yes, it is true you will have to recharge it every other day, but that is not a big deal for me. There is no camera, which I see as a benefit.
If it was just the phone or the service I would be OK. Together the package looks pretty ugly. Definitely call the ATT customer service and see how long you will be on hold, check the user forums before you decide to buy.
71 Currently the best phone on the planet for the price!!
Reasons why this is a great phone:
1. Use outlook to populate the phone with phone numbers
2. Huge bright screen
3. Small easy to carry package
4. Speaker phone and .WAV formatted ring tones (free download or make your own)
5. Sync with outlook and it knows when I am in a meeting and will set ringing to vibrate
6. Free software and games
7. Accepts SD cards for all that downloading
8. Functions as MP3 player
Only 2 issues; short battery life so don't be far from a charger and typing on the phone is slow so I avoid it...
72 Great phone: runs MS apps & syncs w/ Outlook flawlessly
Got this phone a few months ago and can't do without it now! The AT&T service is good but quite expensive. Phone is not quite pocketable, guys-you'll want a holster or pouch for it. The phones battery is sufficient for making 2 or 3 calls 15-20 mins. each per day. I just sync the phone (the USB cable also charges!) each day at work for an hour or so. I only got a low battery warning once after forgetting to charge it for a few days; however I am fairly aware of the capacity and watch the level. The sync function is absolutely the best part. It works much beter than my old PDA (a Treo 90). I don't use the games but hear they are quite spectacular for a phone. It can play/display most of what MS media player can. You can add any .jpeg as a home screen and you can download hordes of programs to add functionality as one sees fit. The possibilities are virtually endless. There are lots of web sites which have great support for the beginner to expert for mods and programs. Forget about it working in Europe, sorry no Tri-band from AT&T, althought the phone itself is capable. My biggest gripe would have to be the side jog-dial; it works fine for raising and lowering volumes but it's iffy at best on pressing it in to activate the voice memo/dial funtion. I feel like I am going to break it by pushing it in to activate that feature; when it actually works. I would however highly suggest this phone for those looking to keep track of appointments and contacts by syncronizing with Outlook. You can surf the web and all too, but that's what I've got a wireless lap top for and with AT&T's data-rate charges, Ouch!
73 You WILL NOT Get your rebates--AT&T is Awful!!!
...
That said, the phone is FANTASTIC!!! I don't need a PDA or schedule book anymore to keep appointments straight. There is so much software available over the net that I consider my phone more of a mini-computer than a phone. My ring "tones" make other cell phone users wilt. My games destroy the competition. The MPx200 has tons of "practical" uses too. This is truly the "one phone to rule them all" at least until someone comes out with a better Smartphone. Make sure you load up on the memory card because you will want to pack this phone with all of the goodies you can get your hands on. Amazon.com took the liberty to remove all of my warnings about poor customer service through AT&T thus changing the tone of my review completely<...
I would also like to add that all of my negative comments about AT&T customer service were purged by Amazon.com changing the tone of the review completely.
74 Good Phone with some effort
The effort required to make this a good phone is that you must upgrade the software from Smartphone 2002 to Smartphone 2003 which is a far superior OS. Once this is done the phone has 95% of the functionality of the new MPX 220 (cost $250) for $49. The only things you don't have are a camera (who wants it) and bluetooth (good but hardly worth an extra $200). Caveats to this review are that you need decent GSM cell coverage in your area.
The two best features are the ability to sync Outlook contacts and the MP3 player. The MP3 player with Windows Media version 10 is great and easy to use (it does blow through the battery though). For $49 after rebates this is a tremendous value and I have come to really like this phone after not being a big fan of it with Smartphone 2002. Worth a look - Upshot: If you want to get an inexpensive smart phone and don't intend to input information through the keypad (this won't replace a Blackberry or a Treo) this is a good price performer.
75 Garbage Battery Life
What good are the "Next Generation" features if the phone is always dead. Battery life is so poor this phone is not worth having even with the rebates. Motorola, shame on you.
76 MPx200: Still Several Steps From the Promised Land
Face it, who wouldn't want a compact, lightweight cellphone that promised to end the need for a person carry both a phone and PDA. If it were possible to synch that phone seamlessly with popular desktop programs like Outlook and Word, most people would feel as though they had died and gone to heaven. But wait, imagine if this phone was also able to download web pages, send email and played music and film files?
If a phone like this arrived you'd think you had reached the Promised Land!
Motorola and Microsoft haven't reached the Promised Land yet. The MPx200 fails to deliver on its promise to replace they need for people to carry multiple devices to serve their personal voice and data communication needs. To start off, the MPx200's power supply in the phone I tested failed on several occasions. I found that web pages were slow to load and that the phone's operating system often froze and crashed when I switched between programs. Video downloads were lethargic and distorted. To add to my woes I found the only way to move data between my Palm and the phone was by transfering individual files by infrared.
Motorola Should Remember, Little Things Make a Difference.
1. The plastic port cover for the USB/power cord port is tiny and does not attach to the phone like the cover for the SD card slot. Count on losing the USB port cover the first or second time you charge or synch your phone.
2. You also had better plan to "wipe down" your MPx200 a couple of times each week. The phone's shiny black case looks cool--until you smudge it up with fingerprints.
3. The big screen is nice but it may also be the cause of the phone's battery draining so quickly.
My advice: if you have a 'decent' phone now, and can wait a month or two to see if Microsoft's next version of its smartphone operating system isn't as prone to freeze-ups as the 2002 version that powers the MPx200, do so. If you need a phone now--this one will do what others can't--just don't count on it to do those things reliably.
77 Great phone with extreamly bad service from AT&T
First of all I don't normally write review after purchase, but I thought I have to share my experience with other people.
The phone is absolutely the best I've ever had. AT&T is the worst service I've ever had. I deeply regreted that I switched to this company because I wanted this phone. It took more than a month to transfer my old number from Sprint. Waiting for more than 30min for customer service is not so bad for AT&T. Again it is ashame the phone is excellent.
78 Do not buy this phone....
Although I received this phone for virtually nothing, the reception was horrible when I lived in the Phoenix area, and, guess what, it's even worse in the Tampa, FL area. The phone itself is great, but reception is awful. Perhaps, it is simply AT&T's coverage area, but I haven't found many other providers that offer the phone. I would definitely recommend finding out if AT&T has good GSM coverage in your area before purchase. I haven't had to deal with AT&T customer service yet but, based on other reviews, the rating would probably be only 1 star if I had.
79 Motorola Phone Good At&t Service Needs Improvement
The phone is great, however I wish my voice mail would come through a bit quicker, sometimes seems to lag, but I don't know if that is AT&T or the phone. I tend to think it is AT&T. Beware of AT&T because of service issues, and I am so glad it is not just me that has waited enormous amounts of time on hold. I was so upset that I had been on hold with customer service 1 time for over an hour I lost it on the customer service rep. So as long as you don't need customer service from AT&T you will love the phone in all that it does.
80 mMode: Buyer Beware!
Last December, I upgraded to AT&T's Motorola MPx200 "Smartphone" to carry my Outlook business contacts. I didn't necessarily want to use the phone to access the Internet, but I was told that there is no way to eliminate mMode from my phone - I'm stuck with it.
Willing to give it a try, I signed up for the basic Internet plan ($7.99/mos), which allowed me to receive and to send about one megabyte of data per month. My AT&T sales rep assured me, "That's more than you'll probably ever use."
Since December, I have accessed only two websites with my new phone: the Weather Channel and Houston Traffic. So I was shocked when the bill for my first full month of service included more than $325 for Internet data access - that's $325 for accessing the weather and traffic a total of nine times! According to my bill, I had transferred more than 32 megabytes of data during nine sessions to two innocuous websites.
Assuming an obvious billing error, I immediately called AT&T customer service. After 25 minutes on hold, the service rep checked my account and her response was firm and incontestable: the usage was legitimate - I owed AT&T $325 for nine sessions of wireless Internet usage.
The rep eventually allowed me to talk to a "problem resolution specialist" named Robert. I spent the next TWO HOURS trying to understand the charge and to convince him that this usage must not only be a mistake but it was physically impossible ... my phone cannot hold 32 megabytes of data (my Motorola MPX200 has the basic 10 megs max, 80 percent of which is already taken by personal Outlook data).
Two frustrating hours later - and after consulting an AT&T web-tech - I was finally able to pinpoint the cause of my usage. AT&T had kept some sort of Internet "port" open even after I had shut down the browser and closed my phone. Apparently, I continued accruing a connection charge -- downloading who knows what -- until I either turned off the phone, made or received another call, or dropped carrier.
According to Robert, AT&T continued to log a 5kb per second usage to my phone and billed me for it. For example, during one session, I was charged $281 for downloading 28+megs of data by simply accessing the Houston traffic page ONCE.
According to AT&T's mMode Web page "Unlike voice plans, with mMode you pay only for the total amount of data you transmit and receive, not for the length of time you're connected or for how long you look at the information."
I told Robert that my bill didn't reflect AT&T's marketing description of the mMode service. He agreed, and credited me the full amount of my month's data usage.
Neither rep acknowledged a problem with AT&T's billing practices, and neither offered any guarantee that I won't face similar charges in future billing cycles. In fact, Roberts' final words of caution to me were: "In the future, don't access the web so much."
Is it just me, or is AT&T violating fair business, advertising and marketing practices in describing its mMode service?
81 Cool phone with problems
Here are the pros:
1. People ask about it and say it's cool.
2. It syncs with Outlook and replaces the Pocket PC
3. The email system reads better than some other phones
4. You can surf HTML sites
5. Can download other software
Cons:
1. It's Microsoft therefore it crashes and freezes CONSTANTLY. It's VERY annoying.
2. The web load time is slow
3. Phone reception is worse than the T68
4. Emails and SMS messages are all in one in box.
5. Case gets smudge marks on it easily
6. Too think and heavy.
7. Memory is much less than a Pocket PC
8. Battery is too sensitive and has a memory.
9. Have to buy add on software to sync with ACT!
10. Settings are not user friendly and make it impossible to change the homepage links and the three VERY slow sign on screens.
Overall it's a cool phone because it combines everything. I hope the next generation is more powerful, more stable and more user-friendly.
82 I love it. I hate it.
I've had it for a week and here's my opinion.
I love it:
1. crystal clear sound, earpiece, speakerphone, and earbuds;
2. SD/MMC expension combined with Windows Media Player makes it a portable MP3 player (and only this function worth the money I paid: $70 for the phone and $65 for a 256MB SD card);
3. Sync with Outlook for both contacts and canlendars (you can use your pc to enter the text then transfer to the phone, much easier than directly entering them through the tinny key board);
I hate it:
1. Poor signal reception. It can't get nothing in my office. Nor in the subway. Nor in my apartment basement. I guess that's what you have to live with if you choose GSM...
2. Battery life sucks. I took it with me fully charged at 8am, and the battery has only 49% left at 1am -- after 17 hours. And I didn't make a single call! The second day it consumes 20% in 7 hours. So I guess the overall standby time is no more than 40 hours.
3. very badly designed craddle/docking. It's very light, and in two pieces. The two pieces earsily fall apart. It holds the phone so tight that I have to use two hands to put the phone on and take it off. The connection can not easily slide in. Have to check it carefully every time. Comparing to digital camera dockings, this is a piece of junk. Also you can't turn on the phone on the craddle, because the power button is hidden and you can't reach it without disconnecting the phone from the craddle.
4. Shiny black cover looks bad. I put my phone in the pocket, and it always collect the cloth dust in the pocket, which looks really bad on the black phone cover. If you put it on the belt or in a purse this may not be a problem.
5. Manual is not detailed enough. The writer seemed assuming the user knows a lot Motorola terms and abbreviations. There are also typos in the manual. I'm a computer scientist so I finally figured out what they are about, but I still had a hard time doing so. I guess many people will feel confused as well.
83 not a very good phone
i've had a couple of mpx200's for over 6 months now, and i really dislike it as a phone, it looks great, people ask about it but its ultimately only skin deep. its slow menu wise, crashes often, and battery life is awful, activesync has always had issues, and it still does. i even switched back to my p800 while abroad.
if you want a shiny bauble for impressing the shallowtons, get this, if you want a serious phone with real pda ability or good call ability, look elsewhere.
AT&Ts GSM service is no where near upto the levels of europe, and it probably never will be, since TDMA is so strong in the usa.
84 AT&T CUSTOMER SERVICE IS THE ***WORST****
I have been w/AT&T for about 6 years and am DYING to switch as soon as I can. I've never seen a company with worse customer service.
Call 611 just about ANY time day or night, and be prepared to hold for about 30 minutes. Often when they do answer, you learn they can't help you and you have to call back during the day...
What a disappointing job they're doing of keeping their HIGH-PAYING ($200/mo ++) customers happy. I've NEVER had anything but rotten experience every time I have to contact them (whether it be for their billing errors, to change plans, even to pay -- that voice response system they have now is absolutely horid!).
In addition, the coverage in Minnesota is pretty bad, even on major highways.
85 Excellent Phone
I gave it 5 stars because of the PDA features. I have been looking for a cell phone that can function as a PDA and a cell phone.
The ability to sync to my Outlook Inbox, Contacts and Calendar is the highlight of this phone. The contact list is the best I've seen so far. I can enter the name, company name, job title, home and work address, email addresses, SMS, categories, birthday, anniversary so on. To search a contact is quite easy to use, spell the name of the person to filter the list until you find it. The phone is so smart that when you press a number, it will dial, when you press an email address, it will launch the email application etc... Now that is smart as in Smartphone which I think it will replace or will make PDA obsolete.
ATT coverage is our area in Washington DC is pretty good but ATT customer service is non-existence. I Went back to the store where I bought my phone told me "we don't do tech support, we only sell phones". I had so many questions when I got this phone but callling the ATT customer service is quite horrendous. However, I found this excellent site http://www.mpx200.org dedicated to MPX owners. It is very helpful and very informative, not only with MPX, but it covers the entire modile industry. Check it out.
I can't wait for the MPX220 that will include camera and bluetooth and new Smartphone 2003.
Check http://www.mpx200.org
86 VPN support is extremely weak
I purchased this phone with hopes of synching it with my office email remotely. I assumed this was possible b/c of the VPN software on the phone. After spending a ton of time trying to get this to work, I realized that the phone's VPN is compatible with VERY FEW firewalls. We run a Cisco Pix at our office (very standard) and I could not authenticate.
So I'm sending the phone back. It has a lot of potential...just isn't quite there yet. Hopefully the mpx220 will be better.
On the plus side, it is a very sharp looking phone and I love that it has an SD slot.
87 Can words describe it?
I recently purchased this phone and it was EXCELLENT! It's the only phone that I could ever buy.!
Pros:
Full-color screen
External screen (which shows who's calling and reminder of appointments and more)
Windows Media Player
Internet Explorer (although it can't display pages that have frames - use google which has an on-the-fly translation at http://www.google.com/wml/)
External Speaker for playing music in Windows Media Player
Comes with everything you need to connect it to your computer
Since it is windows-based you can transfer files to and from your phone (just like a simple USB storage device)
VERY cool looking
MSN Messenger
Microsoft Outlook (to keep all you appointments together - also syncs with your computer)
SD Card Expansion Slot
Cons:
External Speaker cannot be used as a speakerphone - only for playing music (unless I'm mistaken - but it never worked for me).
A little on the pricey side -
88 Excellent 1st Gen SmartPhone
Where to start? The case itself is beautiful, so top marks for combining form and function. The shiny black parts do show everything from smudged fingerprints to scratches, so make sure you have a compatible case (Motorola doesnt make an OEM one yet). If you manage to get a Secure Digital / MMC card above 128MB, the included media player (windows of course) turns the MPx200 into a darn good MP3 player, just keep an eye on the battery gauge, synching a lot creates that terrible "memory-effect" on the battery, where it gives the wrong charge level.
I loved the interface, years of roughing it on the tiny screen of a Nokia 8390 really made me appreciate the shortcut (right-click) menu style of navigation. IE is great for seeing real webpages (not WAP) in their true forms, but make sure you have a big data plan.
Coverage is always an issue with AT&T, but luckily the included e-mail client can tag messages for download later when the coverage goes back up (it only dls 1Kb of the e-mail by default). I was waiting for the Bluetooth+Cam version, but this one does very well. The screen is large enough to make short work of even the most complicated tasks. Speaking of which, the sync feature is great, i love having exact duplicates of the tasks and contacts I entered on-the-go right on my desktop.
It works seamlessly with Outlook, and in case you don't have it, its a bonus full version on the CD.I now use the MPx200 for just about anything, the HandAnGo/WindowsMobile links on the phone can get you almost any crucial app also available to PocketPC users. Just make sure you know that unless you're using number portability, an Amazon purchase creates a new account.
PS: AT&T DID block out MMS, the 900mhz band and the use of the camera attachment (SDIO for the SD slot), but the camera is only available in the UK anyway
89 Good Phone/Bad Service(ATT)
Got this phone for Xmas 03. overall features are great. Size ok, battery life ok. Menus, programs, contacts, and best part is the voice recorder option built-in (it seems like I use this feature more than making phone calls-not true but seems like that). However, too many dead spots in Austin for (atleast) ATT, some with Tmobile. The best part is that it's free after rebates. You don't get good deals anymore. But definitely great phone.
90 Great phone, service is spotty, beware phone # transfer issu
This phone is very cool. Seamless integration with Outlook Contacts, Calendar, Tasks. Internet connection is useful, should improve as more web sites are "mobile-friendly". Beware that transferring your existing TDMA network number to a GSM phone MAY NOT be possible if you activate a new account via Amazon, vs. MIGRATING your account directly with ATT Wireless (and thereby not getting the good Amazon deal.) Bottom line, try the phone for 30 days, use Call Fwding on your old phone to route incoming calls, and prepare to have a new GSM phone number.
91 It's only been a couple of days...
but so far I like the functionality of this phone. Being able to play my music files was the biggest reason why I bought the phone. I wanted something compact and didn't want to carry my cell phone and an mp3 player in my purse.
The headphones are not much to be desired although the sound is excellent. I can't even turn the volume all the way up on this thing! The speakerphone function is great too, not that great sound but not that bad for a small device. I may purchase Sony's foldable speakers for travel.
You do have to install the 3rd party software for the Caller ID feature. That's great except for the fact that once it's installed and you run the program, it can get stuck in the program and you have to power cycle the phone to get out of it.
The other issue is ATT's GSM service. It is still very new. Hopefully, if the talks about ATT and Cingular merging their networks are really true, the coverage will be much, much better.
I'd prefer it if this phone had a stylus as an alternative to using the keys and BlueTooth capabilities would make this phone just perfect, at least in my opinion. Rumor has it that the MPx220 and maybe an MPx300 are already being designed and tested, so maybe they will have those enhancements. But it may not be on ATT's network. Thank goodness for Local Number Portability!
And yes, the external LCD has caller ID. I am not sure about the other complaint I've been hearing regarding the option to have the phone set in "vibrate + ringer". I still have to play with it!
92 AT&T won't Flash Update
I recently learned that Microsoft has provided AT&T with the 2003 software to flash update the MPx200 but they haved decided not to update the 200 because the MPx220 will be releasing on the AT&T network in late Feb (I believe the 19th). Such a sad decision considering this phone was being given away. I had the phone for 7 days and realized the 2002 OS is as bad as reviews have said. Not to mention it has no bluetooth support, it is not triband, and battery life sucks. I paid the extra money and got an unlocked SPV e200 the runs SmartPhone 2003 and has bluetooth intergrated. The 220 will be shipping soon so save your dollars and understand AT&T will hang you out the dry on the flash update.
Bottom line:
Buy an Unlocked Phone running 2003
or
Wait till the US Market gets catches up with Europe.
93 Love the phone - hate the service.
This device is almost perfect except I can only appreciate it as handheld device since ATT has proven all reviews, that I have read lately, true: poor coverage and absurd customer service. When I signed up for 500 minute plan I did not think it was 500 minutes on hold with their customer service. My number has not been ported properly yet (after a week) and furthermore areas where my T-Mobile phone had perfect reception ATT goes in and out.
The MS software and integration with my desktop is impressive - the carrier is not.
94 bad reception
1-this is very elegent phone but its reception is very bad
2- talking time is not 240 min but may be less than 140
95 Very Disappointing
I purchased this phone last month and have been very disappointed ever since. First of all, the phone drops calls all the time and the coverage is very poor. The phone's battery life is very limited. I frequently found myself searching for the power supply cord at the end of the day. And the phone seems to have a major problem telling me when I have voicemails. Just yesterday, I had 3 very important messages sitting on my voicemail but the phone never notified me. The external LCD screen does not show caller ID information. You need to install a separate app and then hand-enter each and every phone number. The Smartphone 2002 OS is very slow when you add more than 100 contacts or if your calendar gets too full. Lots of waiting around!
On the other hand, the activ-sync software from Microsoft works very well. However, it would be very nice if the phone offered Bluetooth.
I work in sales and need a very reliable phone / pda to house all of my important business data. This phone is a good first attempt, but doesn't quite cut it. Today, I'm returning the phone for something else.
I would highly recommend that you hold of buying until the next version of the MPx comes out.
96 Matt
Great phone - one major proble. Caller ID does not work if you have more than 200 phone numbers (not contacts, phone numbers). The phone cannot process a match between the incoming phone number and the stored phone directory quickly enough, and it goes into voicemal on the 4th ring - before it matches. I spoke with Motorola on this issues - they acknowledge the problem and blame Microsoft. Say is "may" be fixed in teh mpx220
97 Class phone ! Not so great but OK AT&T Service !
Much has been said about the phone, so let me talk about 'Number porting' with AT&T, which I think has not been reviewed here before. If you havent noticed, Amazon does not provide number porting for AT&T, atleast as of now. Get the phone activated with Amazon and the phone should arrive with a preset number. Go to the nearest AT&T mobile shop (and remember Go in person, dont try calling them, or if you do, do it at 1AM when the whole world is sleeping). Take your old carrier invoice, and the whole process is easy.
I got the number transferred in 1 day (Yeah no typing mistake ! 1 day). You dont have to change the SIM, AT&T updates the existing SIM in your phone with 'Your' Number. Easy does it.
There have been some hiccups in the online customer care, it still shows 'View Minutes' information for the old phone, but I hope this is a temporary problem.
I live in the phoenix area, and I have had no issues with coverage. If only AT&T corrected their poor customer service and actually trained people (one person that I tried to reach had no idea about porting !!!)....
All in all A Class phone and an OK AT&T Service !!!!
98 Perfect for listening to annoying on-hold music...
...and this is a good thing, since ATT features a service level that would make a pre-fall-of-communism East European cringe. For the full effect you may want to pass the time on-hold reading Marx.
The phone is slow and over-featured (this is Microsoft, afterall) but has a beautiful screen, an effective calendar program and full-featured contacts listing. If you want to carry a phone that will impress passersby, this will likely do it.
In the end though, the service level of ATT will wear you down to the point where the praise of nerdly passersby will be outweighed by the desire to actually have technical assistance when you need it.
99 Poor Reception
I love this phone and want to keep it; but, I can't receive or make calls--even put in an antenna. My location is less than one mile from Millbrae, California BART (near SFO)station--doesn't receive/send there either. Tried a Samsung v206 and it works great! Darn, I really want the features of the SmartPhone. Anyone have ideas????
Thanks, Marie
100 disappointed that the MPx200 is outdated!
This is a pretty good phone but I am really disappointed that in March/04 the next version, with bluetooth and camera will be available. Apparently, only on T-Mobile and not AT&T.
I really want the upgraded Smartphone OS and it won't be available on the MPx200 - only the MPx220. So, after paying $150 for this phone I'll need to pony up if I want the upgraded OS or Bluetooth. I'm feeling ripped off.
Wait for the MPx220...
